Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Health the provision currently being made or likely to be made in the future to meet the care needs of older persons in view of the emerging age profile; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26627/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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As Minister with responsibility for older people, it is my job to bring greater coherence to government planning, policy, and service delivery for older people. In this context, I will ensure that the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive, and all other relevant agencies, whether in the statutory or non-statutory sectors, develop and implement the policies and services set out in the current Programme for Government, Government for National Recovery, 2011-2016. This includes completion of the National Positive Ageing Strategy which will set out the strategic direction for future policies and services by relevant Government Departments and agencies.

The Programme for Government reflects the need for reform across our health and personal social services overall, including addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by changing demographics and care needs of older people in future years. This reform will have to take account, for example, of a projected significant increase in the population, in the coming decades, of those aged 65 and over. There are currently, in Ireland, in the region of 500,000 people in this age category. This equates to approximately 11% of the population. The number of older people is expected to rise to around 775,000 by 2021, and to 1.4 million by 2041. This increase in population will, inevitably, result in increased demands for health and social care, which will require proper planning, vision, and resources in the future to support our older people.